US-based Foot Solutions recently opened its 200th store, in Victoria, Australia. The store is the first in Australia, but 20 additional stores are being planned for the country.

The company plans to open a new 37,000 sq. ft. world headquarters and retail centre facility in Marietta, GA, later this month. The new facility will have a complete on-site lab and Modifications Centre providing foot mapping, gait analysis and comparisons for athletes. Using a video camera the company’s software allows staff to video clients while walking, jogging or running on a treadmill so that the trained pedorthist can determine the type of gait the client exhibits. The video of the unbalanced foot can be overlaid and then compared with a balanced foot enabling the pedorthic department to construct an orthotic and implement special shoe modifications and can help prevent discomfort and injury.

A survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) predicts that nearly half of Americans will experience a foot ailment at some point in their lives and suggests that a high proportion are not wearing the correct shoe size.

Foot Solutions founder and CEO Mr Margiano founded the Heel Quik shoe repair and shoe modification services franchise in 1984 which grew to more than 700 stores in 34 countries. He worked on the Foot Solutions concept for several years before opening the first store in 2000. While each retail location carries a selection of footwear, Margiano emphasises that the company is more than a traditional shoe store. "Our focus is on providing our customers with solutions whether it falls in a shoe, sock or custom orthotic."